With This Ring
by craucm01
Summary: Aria and Ezra have made it. Their love endured and surpassed all of the obstacles that had been thrown their way. First come loves, then comes engagement, next should come a wedding. A beautiful, long awaited wedding. But will Aria destroy the very thing she worked so hard to build? Or will they find a bond to cement their love back together once again?
1. Chapter 1

Aria looked down at her hand. Her delicate fingers lay motionless, cradling a perfect little ring. A sweet sentiment of a love that had gone wrong _many_ times. Traveled down numerous paths that it shouldn't have. Yet, a love that endured. A kind of romance that strengthened itself through sideways glances when they sat together on the park bench. The kind that tore down walls built of judgment and speculation, instead of building walls against each other.

This ring wasn't just a _gift_. Aria had _earned_ this beautiful bauble. She had given all of herself to him, expecting nothing in return but his full heart and adoration.

And then they were here.

 **Here.**

Looking this beautiful future of theirs, dead in the face.

She had never really given much thought to an engagement before, or even the ring for a matter of fact. Perhaps this was another product of their age gap. Ezra had been pondering about it for quite some time. Aria wasn't necessarily classic and traditional, yet he didn't feel daring enough to go alternative and fashion forward with a gem stone. So he had waited, and searched, and trusted his gut. And thought, a **lot**. Aria had given up so much for him, for _them_ , to be together.

The ring jumped out at him in an antique shop. And for once, he wasn't even looking.

 _"Well, isn't that funny. That's how things always seem to go in life"_ Ezra thought to himself.

It was sitting in a red velvet box, waiting patiently to be seen. He had been walking past the sparsely filled counter on his way to the book section. Ezra often stopped here on his way home at night and checked for any new hidden gems. He had never had much luck, but the thrill of the search kept him returning. He had always been drawn to this store like a magnet, and maybe this was why. He was meant to find the most perfect little ring sitting in the back of the jewelery case, at just the right moment. How many times had he wandered on by it, never paying it any attention, and now it was calling to him.

After noticing the box and the ring inside, Ezra immediately took two steps back and shoved his face to the glass.

"Uh...Uh Hello. Excuse me? Is anyone around to open the case?" He slid his hands from his pockets and placed them on top of the display case, while still angling his face to get a better look at the ring. "Hello?" He bellowed again.

"Sorry sir. We normally don't have a lot of patrons on this end of the store. What can I help you with?"

The woman who approached him was middle aged, and didn't seem overly enthralled that anyone was shopping in the store to begin with.

"This ring. Right here. The one with the etching on it... Can I see it please?" He snatched it out of her hand before she had barely placed them on the counter.

"If I'm remembering correctly, this piece is made of 10 karat rose gold, and is considered to be an art deco style. It has raised prongs, with a quarter carat diamond in the center. And the engraving on the sides are hand done. This piece dates back to the late 20's I suppose," and she trailed off.

"This is a truly beautiful ring, but it's often overlooked here in the back. What's the occasion?" Ezra wasn't trying to ignore her. He spun the ring around in circles between his forefinger and thumb, and he rubbed the little diamond to try and make it shine. "Who is it for?" the clerk questioned again, finally breaking him of his concentration.

"Uh...en-engagement ring. I have been looking for an engagement ring for a _long_ time now."

She smiled. "We don't get many men in here to purchase an engagement ring. We usually are more shopped for old kitchen tables or dolls... let me find my binder to make sure that the information I gave you is correct. It gets misplaced every now and then since it doesn't get used too often."

She milled around behind the counter, eventually pulling out a thin black binder with only several laminated pages inside.

"Ah yes...found it. It seems that everything I told you before is correct. The only additional thing that I missed is it's been sized down to a 6.5."

"I'll take it."

Ezra purchased the ring without giving it a second thought. He hadn't planned on buying Aria a second hand engagement ring. Or a second hand engagement ring with a diamond so small. Or a second hand engagement ring, with a small diamond, that was incredibly inexpensive. He had been saving for the past year and in his mind, had planned to purchase the biggest diamond he could afford. He loved her so much that she deserved to be showered in the finest of things. Ezra had always imagined breaking the news of his engagement to his mother, sliding Aria's hand across the dinner table with a massive diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller, yet equally large, diamonds around it.

And here he sat, staring at his impulsive purchase. Wondering if he made the right decision. A smile slowly slid across his face as the sun bounced off of the facets. Ezra placed the ring back in it's box and tucked it neatly back into his jacket pocket.

Aria and Ezra were not a _normal_ couple. They did things their way. This was not a _normal_ ring. It was beautiful, unique and understated. It was _humble_. Everything that Ezra believed their relationship to be. He just hoped that Aria wasn't disappointed when they didn't need to take an insurance policy out to cover the symbol of their undying devotion to each other.


	2. Chapter 2 -- Humble

That little ring had been purchased in such haste, just to sit in its pretty little box and wait. Not that their relationship was crumbling or Ezra was developing cold feet. He was just stumped. It seems that he had forgotten that after purchasing the ring you had to actually develop a plan to _give_ her the ring. He had to come up with a beautiful way to ask **the** most important question he ever would in his life. And he had simply forgotten that, indeed, that is what the ring entailed.

He had made several attempts, they weren't engaged yet due to his lack of effort.

 _"Aria, how do you feel about Chinese food tonight? Except instead of ordering in...let's go out. Wear that new dress you just convinced yourself you_ _ **had**_ _to have." Ezra insisted while pretending to straighten a random stack of papers on his kitchen counter._

 _"Oh...you know I would love to have dinner with you tonight,_ _ **and**_ _especially wear that dress...but Hanna asked me if I would come over and help her purge her closet. She is going through something. Like, literally all it can be called is a thing. She is stressing me out the way she wants to throw out her $1,200 loubs." Aria looked up from her book, crinkling her nose and biting at her bottom lip. "I should really try and dig those out of the trash after she pitches them. It's like throwing away your first born child or something."_

Defeated. Ezra was used to being put on the side burner for silly things like closet purging, coffee dates and mall trips. But he usually didn't have an engagement ring sitting in his pocket.

 _"Oh Aria I'm glad I caught you this morning. I caught a Groupon for tickets to the zoo...I thought maybe we could pretend we weren't in our twenties and going to the zoo without any kids, and go make a day of it. I figured we could go to break-" and she cut him off. "I really can't today Ezra. My Mom has a blind date and is totally freaking out. She needs a pep talk before she meets him at noon. And also, ew. Who has their first blind date with someone over lunch? Always have your first date by candle light at dinner...that way if they don't look like you thought you can convince yourself it's because the lighting is terrible. And then, you can claim the food gave you a stomach ache and you can bail. What kind of out does having_ _ **lunch**_ _give you?"_

Strike two. Ezra was starting to think that Aria knew he had the sudden urge to pop down on a knee and ask her the biggest life altering question of her existence, and maybe she was just avoiding it.

Ezra didn't believe in the case of the 'three rule'. Things shouldn't happen in threes. Three was one of the most unlucky numbers imaginable and he was not going to try to arrange plans with Aria and have her shut him down again.

He spent several evenings alone in his apartment, trying to formulate a way to ask her. To plot out the perfect dinner, what he should wear, should he buy her something nice and surprise her with it? Ask her to wear it out for a surprise, and then not tell her where they are going until they get there? Should he have Hanna sneak along and photograph the whole thing? Was he over thinking this? His brain needed a serious break. He took the ring out of his sock drawer and looked at it again. Just then his apartment door popped open.

Aria had walked in and was shuffling through a stack of books on the end table by the couch.

"Hey, I think that I left my notebook here and I really needed to see if-" As soon as he heard her talking he wrapped a fist around the ring, spun to face the door and dropped to a knee and cleared his throat just enough to try and get her to glance up at him for longer than a split second.

"Areyoureallyonakneerightnow...WhatisgoingonEzrawhatareyou-" Aria's face went pink, as she spoke faster than she had ever heard herself speak before. Her hands immediately dropped the notebook she had come to retrieve and flew to her face, but her feet stood firmly where they had been planted. Her breathing sped up and her chest quickly, and very visibly, began to rise and fall.

And yet Ezra didn't move. He stayed planted on one knee, but opened his palm to display the most perfect and simple, little engagement ring to Aria.

"When I met you that night years ago in a bar, I knew who you were. I knew that you were Aria Montgomery. I knew that you had brown wavy hair, and dark brown eyes. I knew that you were by far younger than me. But I _didn't_ know that you would _be_ in that bar. I didn't know that the way you tilted your head to the side when you browsed the menu and ordered a drink, or the way that you held your glass with both hands while you laughed would make me love you. I didn't know that the smell of your skin and the way you mumble incoherently first thing in the morning would be things that I would not only _want_ every day of my life but things that I would _need_. And I didn't know that I would be down on my knee proposing to you in the middle of my apartment...in the most unromantic manner, oh my God Aria I'm sorry I had tried to get you out to do something so much more special and you were always so bu-"

 **"Yes."**

She cut him off.

He fell silent. "Yes? Yes. Wait, YES? But I didn't even ask yet. You can't take this glory from-"

"SO ASK ME EZRA." By now Aria had slowly made her way over to where Ezra was shifting knees, but still with an open palm.

"Aria. Would you do me the immense, life long, til all of our hair is grey and our children are trying to put us in a home...pleasure of being my wife? I mean...would you hurry up and marry me already?"

He grinned. Not a grin like he had ever grinned before, but the kind that practically showed his back molars. Aria stood shell shocked, but extended her left hand out to him, shakily. He fumbled for a bit to get the ring on her finger. It was almost _too_ perfect of a fit and he struggled to fit it over her knuckles. She lifted her hand to eye level and stared at the ring. Eyes wide, mouth wide open, not saying a word. Just staring.

"If you don't love it, I would understand. And we can certainly get you anything you want. This is the most important material item I will ever give you, or anyone actually, in my life and I want you to love it. But before you _hate_ it let me explain." He took Aria's hand down from her face and held it in his. He made eye contact and then shifted his attention to her ring finger.

"This ring has a history. It's been around the block, and lived a love story that we will never know. But it's still come out swinging with life left in it to be lived again. It's got beautiful details, it's withstood weathering, and is still just as stunning as it was the day it was created. And it's humble. This ring...this ring _is us._ We both have a history, together and apart, and we've loved others and given ourselves to others and still found a way back to each other. We've come together and created the most amazing love story of them all. By far the most beautiful, and my favorite. And even though we have it all, I am still humbled every day that _you_ chose _me._ "

"I would always choose you. If I woke up and had to decide every single day, it would always be you." Aria wiped at a single tear that had fallen down her cheek.

"It's beautiful Ezra," She managed to squeak out before totally losing control of her emotions. Yet, although their love story had a lot of support from friends when it was simply a _story_ , getting a ring was kind of like deciding to etch your story in stone. And she was only twenty years old. She couldn't even go to the bar and celebrate with her friends and family legally yet, while Ezra was nearly twenty seven years old and was well seasoned in all things legal.

To say that Aria was afraid of what they would have to say, was simply stating it.


	3. Chapter 3

_-3 Year Jump-_

Lace in ivory. Lace in white. Rhinestones. Pearls. Tulle. Crinoline. Zippers. Buttons. Ribbon.

Choices. Choices. **Choices.**

Aria was slumped down in the corner of her fitting room. Still dressed in a full skirted ball gown, she was currently fighting to remove the cathedral length veil that was threatening to wrap itself around her neck. Spencer had insisted she try it on and pinned it in the back of Aria's hair against her better judgment.

"Aria, do you need help?" Emily knocked on the door, but Aria just sat silently, having finally broken free of the twisted mesh, ripping it out of her hair and tossing it against the door.

"Guys, she's been in there for at _least_ twenty minutes refusing to come out or even tell us if she likes what we're tossing over the door. Either she had a stroke from seeing some of the prices of these frocks or ... " Emily broke off.

"She's having cold feet." Hanna pushed past Emily and shook the handles to the room Aria was hiding in.

"Seriously Aria. If you're overwhelmed just say so. But _seriously_ , don't make us wait around while you have an anxiety attack alone in this closet." Aria looked up at herself in the mirror finally. Her striped socks were sticking out like a sore thumb from the taffeta. She blew her bangs out of her face and stood up, trying not to step on any of the layers of the dress that hung far over the tops of her feet.

The door finally popped open and Aria stepped out of the room. Spencer, Emily and Hanna weren't sure what to say. It was clear that Aria didn't like the dress they had picked for her and that she hadn't been enjoying the experience at all.

"This isn't me," Aria confessed, biting her bottom lip. Spencer opened her mouth as if to say something, tipping her head sideways to get a different perspective of the situation. Aria stood in the center of the room staring blankly at the freshly waxed wood floor. Emily held up a beautiful cream colored gown. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, the bottom of the dress fell to the ground in a mass of ruffles.

"This is nice..." The look on Aria's face said it all and Emily quickly returned the gown to it's rack before Aria could even reject it.

"Let's talk about what's really going on here. You're having _doubts._ Not second thoughts, you've had three years to have those." Aria's jaw dropped slightly as she turned her head to look at Hanna.

"This is the second time you've convinced us that you were ready for this. To play princess bride and parade around in a bunch of white dresses waiting to find the perfect one and make all of us cry like a bunch of babies. And this is also the second time that you had a freaking melt down as soon as you put on a dress. I mean, be as insecure as you want about the situation but remember you are dragging other people around with you. If I don't get to try on a bridesmaid dress soon I'm going to be convinced that this thing is never happening."

"HANNA." Spencer wrapped her arm around Hanna's face and slapped her hand over her mouth before Hanna could say anything else.

Aria didn't know what to say. Frankly, they were right. Somehow Hanna's big mouth was always right. Aria had been side stepping wedding planning since the very beginning of their engagement. Practically since the moment that it happened. She waited weeks to tell anyone. Ezra, on the other hand, had been so elated he took an in-the-moment-selfie and shared it on Instagram _and_ Facebook. He was holding the phone in his left hand, giving a thumbs up with the other, with a huge open-mouthed grin spread across his face. Aria could be seen in the right side of the picture, left hand stuck out in front of her with finger wide open. Staring in astonishment at the ring. The caption read, ' _ **MRS. ARIA FITZ HAS A NICE 'RING' TO IT, RIGHT?**_ **'#shesaidyes'.** Aria could hardly believe it when the notifications started rolling in on her phone. Ezra hardly ever opened either social media application on his phone, let alone used it to instantaneously announce giant life altering decisions. She remembered thinking how out of character that was for him. Not even thinking to call family or friends before sharing the news with the entire world wide web.

Ezra's mother had tried to play nice. She commented on how 'thrifty' it was to purchase a ring at an antique shop. She had questioned if Ezra was really that broke that he had to purchase someone else's ring. To that he simply hung up the phone. He didn't need his mother to hurt him again, during a time he should have been the happiest.

"No Hanna, y-you're right. You're right. It's time to make this thing happen." Aria picked up the edges of the dress she was wearing and walked to a wall lined with plastic bags, filled with dozens of different wedding dresses. "But if I'm going to keep trying these things on, I want to try on something that's _me."_

Aria browsed through at least a dozen dresses before stumbling upon one that caught her eye, and also made her catch her breath. It was unconventional. Not something that either of the girls would have chosen for her. She pulled it from the rack and turned, arm extended out and a smile creeping over her face.

"This. This is what I am talking about girls."

"But that's...pink." Spencer spoke.

"It's beautiful. It's so beautiful..." Aria spoke to herself and whisked off to the fitting room.

As she pulled the heavy dress that her friends had chosen for her off of her body, she took a second to stare at the dress she had chosen while it hung against the wall in it's protective bag. It was in fact pink. A light blush pink, hardly noticeable if you weren't _really_ looking. It was tea length, ' _So I would actually be able to justify buying an adorable pair of heels...that's a plus,'_ Aria thought to herself. The dress was satin, with layers of tulle and crinoline underneath. It had a beautiful illusion neckline, with large silver rhinestones around the neckline, and smaller ones glittering the nude colored mesh. As she slipped it on over her head, she couldn't believe how beautiful it made her feel. And she also couldn't believe how well it fit.

It was the most unconventional dress in the shop. Like nothing Aria had ever seen a bride wear before.

She opened the door to the dressing room, finally feeling like a bride after oddly enough, looking a little less bridal.

"Oh Aria..." all of the girls gasped.


	4. Chapter 4

Aria had made dozens and dozens and _dozens_ of calls. Setting up catering. Ordering flowers. Organizing chairs and tables. Arranging music. She was over it. Done. Thoroughly exhausted of anything and everything that had to do with a wedding. Sometimes she had to remind herself late at night, when she was crunching numbers and trying to figure out where all of the money was going to come from to pay the vendors, that this was all for her and Ezra. It was finally something that was a celebration of _them._

To say that Aria's family was indifferent about the entire affair was putting it mildly. When she had finally gotten up the nerve to show them the ring, they weren't sure what to say.

"Congratulations honey. It's beautiful but...I mean, are you really ready?" Her father questioned coldly.

"Don't let him pressure you in to this Aria. He is a grown man who has lived his life and had his time to find his place in the world. You're barely out of the house, do you really think that you're ready to toss away your freedom for some his and hers towels?" Byron tossed his napkin on to the dinner table in frustration.

"I think what your father is trying to say Aria," her mother reached across the table and grabbed Aria's left hand and swiveled the ring back and forth with her finger, "is that he is just afraid of you ending up unhappy."

 **Unhappy.**

That word hit Aria in the stomach like a knife. She had spent so much of her life being unhappy, having to hide her relationship, her _love_ from the world. And now the world thought that they could predict how she would end up? That she would end up locked in a life of misery because she had decided to marry her soulmate before she was halfway to thirty?

Aria pulled her hand away from her mothers grip.

"The only thing that makes me unhappy, is people thinking that I am actually going to BE unhappy. Do you think I would have said yes and accepted this ring if I thought that I would just be miserable for the rest of my life?" Aria was growing more irritated by the minute.

"If that's all that you think this is, some young romance that's going to fizzle out, then I had to break it to you but you're **wrong**. We have done our time being apart, being socially acceptable to everyone. We get to finally be us now." She stood up, straight faced trying to show no emotion. No anger, no frustration, no sadness. Aria pushed her chair in, grabbed her purse off of the couch and walked out of the Montgomery house.

That was years ago, yet Aria was still waiting for her parents to come around to the idea. They had offered no money for the event, just moral support. Her mother listened to her list off expenses and vendors and felt guilty for not offering to help pay. Byron simply told Aria to send him a save-the-date and invitation and he would be there, but he couldn't contribute to a union he didn't fully believe in.

"Why do you think they don't love us?" Aria randomly questioned Ezra one night while twirling a noodle around her fork.

"Uh...did I miss something. Who are we talking about here?"

"My parents. This morning I called my mom, practically hyperventilating after I got the price quote for the flowers and all she said was, 'it will all work out Aria'" She sighed and looked at Ezra over a glass of water.

Ezra sat up stiffly in the chair and adjusted his feet under the table. He wasn't sure what to say. He knew that they had been dragging their feet, trying to fill Aria's head with reasons on why she shouldn't marry him. Telling her that they could still be together, they didn't have to get married to _be together_. He couldn't understand it either.

"I would say they don't love us, but that doesn't mean that they don't love _you."_

"We're kind of a package deal now you know. Two for the price of one." She stood up from the table and walked around to Ezra's chair, taking a seat in his lap.

"You know, have I told you lately that it is only thirty days until you are Mrs. Ezra Fitz? And how I just can't wait until we never have to call you Aria Montgomery ever again?" He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzles his face into her hair.

"I think that is actually the third time today you have given me the current count down." She laughed standing back up.

"And actually, I need to make a call to the baker to confirm that we don't want that third tier..." She mumbled to herself pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. Ezra took it immediately from her hands and set it on the table. His face fell a little

"You know, I always dreamed that we would have a huge wedding. You would have everything that you ever wanted, hundreds of flowers, butterflies...doves."

"Doves Ezra, _really_?"

"Okay, maybe no doves," He laughed a little, "But in all honesty. I am feeling pretty bad that you can't have everything you've wanted..." he trailed off, drawing circles with his fingers on her thigh.

"Are you kidding me? I wanted to go to the court house and elope. You're the one that convinced me we needed to do this the fancy way."

"I never wanted you to regret not having that day, Aria. With your friends, and your family...whether they want to be there or not, you know they're gong to show up. And to be quite frank, I didn't want to deprive myself of seeing you in a white dress taking that short stroll down the aisle to me..." his face turned pink.

Aria chuckled to herself.

 _'I wonder what he is going to think when he sees that my dress is actually pink...'_


	5. Chapter 5

"Aria, you look stunning." Spencer assured her for the hundredth time.

"Would it make you feel better if we told you he's going to love the dress, but want to strip it off of you as soon as he sees you turn down the aisle?" Hanna questioned.

"HANNA. Really?" Spencer rolled her eyes as she placed the back on her earring.

"I'm just being honest. Mr Fitz seems like kind of a freak in the sheets, and now he's gonna be able to get it whenever he wants it."

Aria's face flushed a deep shade of red.

"Okay, really. When did we start calling him Mr. Fitz again? Hasn't he been Ezra for the last half dozen years?"

"It's just so scandalous...you, marrying our old English teacher. It just makes it sound that much more sexy." Hanna finally quit commenting on the details of what could be and left the room to grab another can of hairspray from the bathroom.

Aria had chosen to go the more thrifty route for her wedding day preparations. The girls all did their own hair, Aria had no specifics on how it needed to be done. The only one who went out on a limb and did something out of the norm was Hanna, who had decided to wrap a braid around her head and finish it off with a large messy bun full of curls and flowers. Spencer and Emily let their hair flow loosely down their backs in soft waves, with a thin crown of flowers adorning the top. Each girl was allowed to pick their own dress in a shade of champagne, and shoes were optional since they were holding the days festivities outside. The park was free, and Spencer's lake house was a great place for the reception.

Aria had decided to go fairly natural as well. A soft, loose, side swept pony tail that sat on top of her left shoulder. A thin piece of hair wrapped around the elastic, and soft curls that fell to the sides of her face. In lieu of a veil she had chosen a silver hair pin, adorned in rhinestones and pearls in the shape of a flower. Emily tucked it in right behind Aria's ear.

Aria had decided to do one thing traditionally and made sure she attended her wedding with something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

She smiled as she placed the earrings Ezra had given her for Christmas several years ago, on her ears. It was only the second time she had ever worn them. They were far too large and heavy to wear just because. She considered her engagement ring something old. Her hair pin was a gift from Hanna, specifically to be her something new. Aria was trying to skip a headpiece all together. Spencer had showed up the morning of with the laciest, skimpiest blue underwear Aria had ever seen.

"Ezra can't say I never gave him anything," Spencer said tossing the small bag to Aria. Her face once again, turning pink as she took out the tissue paper and discovered the panties.

"I had my something blue already though," she stammered to Spencer holding up a blue rhinestone bracelet she had planned to wear.

"That doesn't match a single thing that you are wearing today and you've had it since the eighth grade. That doesn't get to count," Spencer informed Aria as she snatched the bracelet away and threw it in her bag. "Actually, I'm throwing that away. Relics like that from ancient history don't belong anywhere near a bright new future like this," and Spencer grabbed it from her purse and tossed it in the garbage can behind her.

The girls were dressed, and stood huddled together looking at each other in the mirror.

"Is it too hard to tell that I'm the bride? You guys are the ones wearing practically white, while I'm dressed up in a light shade of cotton candy." Aria doubted herself.

"Too late to think about it now." Emily grabbed Aria by the shoulders and they started to leave the room.

"Wait guys...I never really thanked you for putting up with me. For listening to me whine about this wedding for the past three years while we tried to make it happen... I have wanted it for so long, and it almost didn't even happen." Aria looked down in to her bouquet and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"And I feel so bad, because I never even told you ... why it almost didn't happen. I never even told Ezra why it almost didn't happen. Actually, I don't think that I ever even told him that it almost didn't happen, for him to wonder why." Aria started to tear.

"OH NO. This is not the time to play Hallie Heartbreaker. We are dressed. We are beautiful. We even have flowers in our hair. YOU are getting married TODAY." Hanna insisted grabbing Aria up from her seat and turning her to face the door.

"Any reservations you have, any complaints you may need to make about stupid decisions you made in the past can be left at the door and picked up to be continued in approximately eight days when you both come back from your beautiful honeymoon in California. Until then, keep your mouth shut, head up and look pretty because honey, you're getting married in ten minutes."

Emily dabbed at the corners of Aria's eyes with a kleenex while Spencer adjusted a few curls around her face. Hanna stood at the door, aggresively ushering everyone out of the room.

"If we don't go now Byron might think that Aria isn't coming, and you know he would just happily skip right on out to go home. She needs some one to give her away so LET'S GO." They all followed suite with Hanna's demand.

"Aria, you look absolutely beautiful." Her father said as he grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Thanks Dad," she half smiled and adjusted her bouquet in her hands for the fifth time since meeting up with her Dad in the parking lot.

"I suppose it's a nice day to get married..." He said looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

She swallowed hard and looked straight ahead.

"Yea, it is." She wrapped her arm around his elbow and they began to walk. Hanna, Emily and Spencer had already made their way down the aisle with Caleb, Mike and Toby.

And there he was, standing twelve feet away from her. Looking as handsome as ever, his hair slicked over to the side. Nervously hopping up and down on his heels, licking his lips and scanning over everyone's heads waiting for the first sight of Aria. She noticed that his boutinierre was on crooked, which made her laugh a little inside.

Music started to play, and all of the guests rose to their feet. Aria could hardly believe that she was getting ready to marry not only her high school sweet heart, but the love of her life. Her soul mate.

She started walking with her dad. Both remained completely silent the extent of the walk. Aria's attention was totally fixed upon Ezra. Her fiance, who in just a few minutes would become her husband. How did she get so lucky?


	6. Chapter 6

Ezra caught his breath in his throat, pulling both lips in to his mouth to keep them from quivering in front of all of their guests.

 _'You can not cry. You can not cry. You can not cry.'_

He repeated to himself over and over in his mind.

 _'Yep, here we go. You're crying...you're definitely crying..'_

Even his inner dialogue couldn't distract him from this moment. Besides Byron refusing to make eye contact with Ezra, it was everything that Ezra had never imagined.

Being a guy, he hadn't spent a lot of time day dreaming about Aria's walk down the aisle. He knew that he couldn't wait to see how stunning she looked. And if he was being honest, he couldn't wait to see how s _he_ looked at _him_ also.

 _'how long will i love you?_

 _as long as stars shine above you,_

 _and longer if i can._

 _how long will i want you?_

 _as long as you want me to._

 _and longer by far.'_

 _'Oh, if you weren't crying before ... you're bawling now Ezra. Good job'_ he thought to himself.

Ezra turned his head to the right so Aria couldn't see him wipe a few tears from his eyes and compose himself. That was **their** song. They had discovered it on their forth date while Aria was flipping through random YouTube videos. The two of them didn't know it then, but that song would be the theme song for their love. Their romance. How many times had they called each other's cell phones and in an act of cheesy desperation after a fight, left it playing on a voicemail. No words, just music. Allowing Ellie Goulding to say everything that they couldn't in that moment. They never tired of hearing it.

And now, here they were. Aria's arm looped through her fathers, holding a small bouquet of beautiful white daisies and yellow tulips. _Their two_ favorite flowers. Taking her last stroll to him as Aria Montgomery, accompanied by _their_ song.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" Spencer's mother asked. She had taken pity on Aria and Ezra. They didn't attend church, and couldn't afford to hire anyone to marry them if they wanted to be able to have any refreshments at their wedding, so as her gift to the couple she became ordained online.

"It's just one more thing to add to my resume." She off handedly mentioned when she offered.

"It would be my pleasure to finally tie this knot for you two."

And with that, the music faded out.

Byron placed his hand on top of Aria's arm and turned her to look him in the eyes. With his other hand he lightly stroked her cheek and slightly shook his head from side to side in disbelief. His baby girl, his only daughter, was no longer going to be his. He would have to share her, for the rest of her life.

He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear.

"You can still back out, you don't have to do this Aria. But, I know that you will. So just know, you have my blessing and..." he pulled away and he sighed, looking at Ezra over his shoulder before finishing, "I love you."

Relief filled Aria's body. She had waited years to hear her father say that.

 _'You have my blessing'._

Tears rolled down Aria's face as she kissed Byron on the cheek.

"I do," and with that he simply placed her hand in Ezra's and returned to his seat.

Aria's chest rose and fall heavily, holding back tears by biting the inside of her lower lip, hard. She handed her bouquet to Spencer, who gave her a wink, and she quickly turned back to face Ezra. He was no longer rocking on his heels. He stood as still as a statue, holding her hands tightly as if to keep her from escaping this perfect moment. He broke from his stare and looked out over the crowd to everyone who had showed up to support their union. He was overwhelmed with emotion. Not long ago so many of these people viewed him as a predator. A strange man who got a job at the local high school just to lure in and prey on the young girls who attended there. And now, after much time spent doing good within the community, working to better their image, and remaining strong and true to their faith in each other they were here.

Yet he couldn't help but notice that none of his family was here.

Not his mother, not his father, not his brother.

"Ezra...are you still with us?" Mrs. Hasting's nudged his shoulder and gave him a fake smile. Aria's smile had started to fade off of her face. How long had he been day dreaming? What had he missed?

"At this time Ezra," Mrs. Hasting's paused to make sure he was paying attention this time, "You may make your vows to Aria."

Without saying a word Ezra pulled out a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket and cleared his throat. He smiled at Aria over the paper before he began.

"First off, in true form...I didn't memorize my vows like Aria had asked me to do. So please, excuse my crumpled cheat sheet," he joked with the audience before he began.

"Sweet, beautiful, loving, adoring Aria." He exhaled and caught his breath quickly again.

"Here we are. Somehow, I always knew that we would be here. Love always wins in the end, and our love is bigger than love itself. Our love is stronger than any love that has been before. When I look in to your eyes I can see just how big your heart is, and to think that you chose me to live inside it gives me a feeling that is incomprehensible. Wherever our futures may take us, we will surely go there together. Hand in hand, heart in heart, side by side, forever. We have waited for this day for what feels like an eternity, and I'm glad it's finally here. Not only because I could no longer wait to call you Mrs. Fitz, but because you were getting tired of my countdown to the day I could," everyone chuckled and he put the paper back in his pocket.

"I didn't write this part down..and maybe now I'm rambling but - I promise to be your forever friend, your eternal love and your light in the dark. To never forsake you, abandon you or forget that what we have is the most real thing I have ever had in my life."

He slid a ring on Aria's finger. He wasn't sure she had even taken a breath since he began talking. It was their first time hearing each other's vows.

"Aria, you may now recite your vows to Ezra," Mrs. Hastings gave her a soft smile.

Aria licked her lips and tipped her head up to look more clearly at Ezra.

"I didn't write mine down, so forgive me if I uh...if I stumble, a little..." She dug her toes in to the grass and shifted her weight on to her heels. She was glad in this moment that she had decided to go barefoot instead of wearing shoes. The grass gave her a distraction.

"I so admire the way that you love me. The way that you risked your reputation, your career...your sanity for me. And Ezra, when I look in to your eyes I see it too. I see the way that you look at me like you don't see anyone else around. Your love is so big and so strong, and I feel so terrible."

She began to cry, and wonder what in the hell she was doing.

She had decided long ago to keep this secret to herself. No one knew, she would never have to tell and they could live the life they always dreamed. She had decided not to ruin that for them. But now she was having verbal diarhea and she couldn't stop talking.

She dropped Ezra's hands and placed her own hands over her eyes.

"You deserve someone who would never stray. Who would never dip into something else out of curiosity. Someone who wouldn't let her heart wander and love someone else."

She had said it.

At the perfectly wrong time.

In front of all of their family and friends.

Embarrassing herself, but humiliating and stunning Ezra.

"I can't marry you Ezra."

"Aria..." his face turned white. Caleb reached around to place a hand on his shoulder but Ezra shook it off.

"ARIA. You don't get to leave me at the altar. You DON'T get to do this to me." He cried as Aria covered her face and quickly strode down the aisle to the parking lot, avoiding looks from everyone who had just witnessed the scene.

Spencer dropped the flowers she was holding and in a panic asked everyone to please remain seated.

"ARIA. ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?" Ezra yelled after her.

He stood alone at the altar, with no bride. He had counted down the days to calling her Mrs. Fitz, and now he wasn't sure what to even say at all.


	7. Chapter 7

A past can be a really hard thing to forget, no matter how hard you may try, there's no erasing it. Wherever you hide, there's no escaping it. It's as indestructable as the energy it took to create it. You don't just forget being walked out on, on your wedding day. The stinging of the tears developing in your eyes doesn't just fade away long after the tears have been shed. You always remember.

Ezra didn't know what to do. He stood frozen in time at the altar, eyes searching faces frantically looking for an answer or explanation. Desperately wishing for a sign of what his next move should be. The guests were beginning to talk amongst themselves, becoming increasingly uncomfortable the longer Ezra stood alone.

He didn't case her. He didn't even walk out of the ceremony until guests had begun to disperse themselves. Emily, Hanna and Spencer had long since followed after Aria, fully embarrassed at what they had just been apart of. They didn't know what was going on either, but couldn't stick around to talk to Ezra.

When he finally found himself wandering down the grassy path to the parking lot he found Aria sitting alone in the drivers seat of his car. Thick streaks of black, watery mascara were smudged all over her cheeks and hands. She had taken the pin out of her hair and was holding it in the palm of her hand, which was resting in her lap. Sun rays were bouncing off of the facets in the rhinestones and dancing on her face in dazzling specks. For a small moment, Ezra forgot the circumstances of what he was looking at, and he was simply just looking at her. Memorizing the bridge of her nose, the curves of her lips. He couldn't help but to still think how beautiful she looked sitting alone. Even being so obviously broken.

He never hesitated to get in the passenger seat of the car.

Aria tucked her bottom lip in between her teeth and placed her hand on the car door handle to leave.

"You can't keep running from me Aria," Ezra pleaded with her, flatly.

"Well.." she sniffled, "I really can't face you right now." She look up and out of the car window, begging for a needed distraction. She refused to look at him, though.

He was feeling more desperate by the minute. Finding himself stretching across the car, he grabbed her face with both hands. His touch was more aggressive than he had intended it to be, but he didn't flinch. In a snap he had turned her face to his.

"Why are you trying to throw us away?" His voice broke between gritted teeth.

Aria pushed his hands from her face and pushed her way out of the car. Ezra scrambled out of his side to chase after her.

"If you don't explain right now, we're done Aria. Done."

She stopped in mid step. She had assumed that their relationship was over the moment she decided to leave him at the altar. If there was a chance that she could save what they had, she wanted to. She so desperately wanted to.

Slowly spinning to face him, she let her arms dangle limp at her sides while she opened her mouth and began talking.

"I can't lie to you and tell you the things that you want to hear," she swallowed hard.

"There was a time when I fell out of love with us, Ezra." She never wavered in her straight face, although she felt that maybe she should have. Maybe showing some kind of emotion would be better than breaking his heart stone faced.

"You were so consumed with us, almost to the point that you were practically suffocating me. After you proposed you changed. And I ... I, I guess I should have changed too if it felt as right to me as it was supposed to. But it didn't. I couldn't even tell people about it, because it just felt wrong."

Tears were streaming down his face now. Slowly, one by one, they traveled over his cheek bones, on to his lips and off of his chin. He sobbed silently, not trying to wipe away his grief or hide his crushed expression.

He wanted her to see how she was killing him.

"I never meant to let it get this far. I mean ... I kept hoping that things would turn around and I could go back to the way that I was, how you still thought that we were." She was trying not to be affected by how vulnerable Ezra was being with his emotions.

He so badly wanted her to touch his face, wipe his tears, smoothe his hair.

But Aria kept her distance.

"How we were?" He whispered in disdain, "You mean, how we are," his voice raising.

Aria shook her head.

"I had found someone else while I was trying to get back to us."

He felt his heart stop in his chest and a sob heaved from his throat, followed by another.

"It was only one time, and it broke me once I realized what I had done. It didn't make anything better." By now Aria couldn't ignore the hurt that had spread across Ezra's face, and she had started taking small hesitant steps toward him. But he stepped backwards away from her. He stopped staring in to her eyes and looked over her head, beginning to process what she had just told him.

"Who." It was more of a demand than a question.

"Andrew." She didn't even hesitate to throw his name in to the battlefield. Maybe Ezra's anger would turn to Andrew, and leave a little slack for Aria to attempt to pick up the pieces.

Andrew. He had tip toed in to their relationship before, long ago. Ezra wasn't surprised that he would do it again.

Quickly, his demeanor changed. His eyes had quit producing tears and the sobs had cleared from his throat. Still not bothering to wipe the hurt from his face or off of his flushed cheeks, he walked up to Aria and placed her face between his hands one more time.

She was stunned. Not sure what was happening, her eyes opened wide and she stared into Ezra's eyes in fear.

He pulled her face t his and pushed his lips to hers. After a moment he pulled away and let his hands fall to his sides.

"I'll have your things packed for you by tomorrow morning. You can come get them after our- my, flight leaves."

Her jaw dropped and she grabbed for his hands.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not welcome in our home right now Aria. And I need some time to think. California sounds like a good place to go right about now. A few thousand miles in between us."

He pushed her hands off of his and shoved past her, running is shoulder in to hers as he walked by.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning Aria arrived at their home. She was embarrassed and exhausted, having hardly slept the night before. She spent several hours at the reception tearing it down alone. She tossed the cake tier by tier in to the trash can. The more full she filled garbage bags and plastic totes the more empty she felt.

Expecting to toss her things in to her car and leave, she was confused when nothing was waiting for her outside. She pulled her car up and turned it off. Pulling out her cell phone she noticed she hadn't missed any calls or messages from Ezra. She found his name in her contacts and let the phone ring. It felt too brazen to just walk inside.

"Hello?" He sounded just as tired as she did.

"I'm here to pick up my stuff..."

"Just come in." and he hung up.

As she stepped out of the car and walked up the sidewalk she saw the door open and Ezra standing behind it. He was still dressed in his tux from the day before. She put averted her eyes to look at her feet and she counted the steps to the front door like she always did, out of a strange habit she had. Twelve steps. It was always twelve steps and she was embraced in a warm hug and a kiss on her forehead.

Today it was twelve steps and a cold hello.

There were empty boxes scattered around the room. Piles of her things. Pictures, clothes, shoes.

"Um, do you want me to pack my things?" She was ringing her hands together.

"No." he shook his head, staring at the piles on the floor.

"I stayed up all night, putting things in boxes, emptying the same boxes out. Over and over. Like I was crazy or something." He shifted his weight and put his hands in his jacket pocket.

"Every time a box would get full, and I was ready to tape it shut and shove it out on to the curb...I just couldn't." He walked around the room and found a frame that he had tossed out of a half full box.

"How can I put this memory in a box and throw it out of my life? Look at us here," he handed it to Aria, his voice growing softer.

"This is us. Who we are now...this isn't us. The Aria and Ezra I know, deep in my chest...I know that they get married. They ended up together. They win at being in love. They get it." His voice started breaking again.

Aria was at a loss for words. She had expected her things to be broken and ruined in a box outside the door. Ezra on a plane west without her.

"I still want us." Arias lip quivered and her knees buckled underneath her. She sat on her feet on the floor, placing her head in her hands.

Ezra didn't rush to catch her. He kept his distance, standing in the same position, staring at her.

"I packed you a suitcase. I want you to go on our honeymoon with me...even though now I think we should just call it a vacation."

She still didn't know what to say. She turned her head to the door and saw two suitcases lined up.

"Are...are you sure?" she swallowed.

Ezra nodded his head.

"I was so stunned, Aria, that you could do this to us. That you could...cheat. But then I remembered how you have forgiven me so many times before. You let me have my time when I thought I had a son. You let me have my space when I was trying to learn how to co-parent with another woman who I had loved once. You didn't leave me when you learned I had been engaged. Who am I to walk out on us, when you deserved a second chance...just like the dozens of chances you've given me?"

He composed himself and turned to walk in to their bedroom. He began changing out of his tux and in to a pair of jeans and a button up.

"So let's start over. Pretend that you didn't leave me at the altar. Pretend that you didn't sleep with Andrew to try and bring your life full circle some how. You just met me, you think I look handsome as ever in my dashing blue button up," he smirked and flattened the collar down against his shoulders, "and in a whirlwind of romance and infatuation I sweep you off of your feet and take you on a beautiful vacation to the sandy beaches of California. Where we eat snow cones and corn dogs and salads...and get sunburns and bug bites, and maybe even if I'm lucky, you fall in love with me...again." He tilted his head to the side and waited for her answer.

Aria sat on her feet on the floor still, tears streaming down her face and arms stretched out to wide, pleading for a hug, ferociously nodding her head in agreement.


	9. Chapter 9

The drive to the airport was nothing if not awkward. Ezra had cleared his throat a half a dozen times, still not saying a word. Aria's hands were settled in her lap, her eyes hadn't left the spot on the windshield she had chosen to focus them on.

Ezra finally broke the silence.

"So, I kept the receipt for our wedding bands. I think we can get our money back if we return them within fourteen days."

Aria shook her head.

"Uh, they were sized remember. Can't return anything personalized..." her voice dipped as she finally blinked her eyes.

"That's right. I guess they're ours then. We could probably pawn them or sell them online or something." He tightened and released his grip on the steering wheel repeatedly. He was grabbing at straws here, trying to get some sort of a reaction out of Aria. Yet, she continued to sit stone faced in the passenger seat.

When they parked their car and began to get their bags from the trunk Aria stepped back and stared straight ahead at Ezra.

"Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to come."

"Aria, even though you made our wedding crash and burst in to a ball of flames to the likes of which I'm sure will be talked about for years...that doesn't mean we can't still enjoy our honeymoon, to which I forgot we have decided to call just a vacation." He smiled.

"Ezra, I can tell when you're fake smiling at me. You show the very tips of your bottom teeth and have dead eyes." Aria's shoulders fell. He was trying so hard, but she wasn't sure what exactly he was trying to do.

A few hours later they boarded their plane and were well on their way to sunny, beautiful California.

If this had been the vacation that they had been planning Aria's suitcase would have been filled with nothing but bikinis, lingerie, high heels and flip flops. But since it wasn't, and because Ezra had packed her bag, she was certain this trip was to be filled with jeans, tank tops and tennis shoes. She cringed. Maybe she should have checked her luggage just to make sure she was fully packed.

Hours later they were checking in at their hotel.

"Reservations?"

"Uh...under Fitz." Ezra pulled out his credit card and slid it to the lady working the front desk.

"Ohh, I see that you're in our honeymoon suite," she winked, "Congratulations Mr. Fitz! Please enjoy your stay with us and let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay with us more enjoyable." She gave him a grin and slid his card back to him.

Ezra was unsure of what to say. It hadn't occurred to him yet that he was going to spend months correcting people, and explaining to people that Aria was still Aria Montgomery, not Aria Fitz and he was still technically a bachelor.

He just gave a weak half smile and said thank you as he slid his credit card into his wallet and tucked it away in to his back pocket. Together Ezra and Aria wandered through the lobby to the elevator and eventually found their room.

The _honeymoon suite_.

Ezra had ordered for a large bouquet of roses, a bottle of wine and a gift to be left on the bed for Aria.

All of which he had totally forgotten about.

When he saw it sitting in plain sight he turned his eyes to the floor and rolled his suit case on past and over to his side of the bed. Aria stood uncomfortably by the door.

"I didn't think about how there was only going to be one bed, do you want me to get my own room?" She made a gesture to the door with her hands and had already started to gather her things up to find her own place.

"Well that would be silly," Ezra turned to her with a smile. A real one this time. A smile that shone from his eyes.

"Incase you didn't notice I apparently still love you enough to have not cancelled my order of this fabulous wine and these roses. And there's even a little present here...all with your name on it still." He sat down on the bed beside the tray that had all of the items on it.

"Ezra you didn't have to do that for me," she brushed her hair back away from her eyes, trying to hide her guilt.

"Im nothing if not a hopeless romantic Aria."

He picked up the box and stretched his reach towards her.

"Please open it, or you just might break my heart again." He was trying to make light of their current situation, but Aria wasn't finding much humor in it. She leaned her suitcase up against a wall and set her carry on and purse down by her feet at the foot of the bed. She took the wrapped package out of Ezra's hands and placed it in her lap. She felt guilty to be receiving a gift from him after what she had just done. She really wished that he had just let her go and get her own room like she had wanted. She could barely even look him in the eye, let alone sleep next to him in bed for the next ten days.

She held her breath as her fingers slowly began to rip away at the wrapping paper that surrounded the package. Her eyes welled up with tears when she saw what it was.

A photo album. Filled with pictures of all of Ezra's favorite memories of the two of them. Movie nights, selfies in the car, zoo trips, sleep overs, dinner dates, walks in the park, even the selfie that he had taken immediately after popping the question. The last three spots were empty, except for a note and something wrapped in tissue paper.

Aria's heart felt like it had just been stepped on. How could she still love someone so much, knowing that she didn't deserve him. She was trying to hold in her quiet sobs as she opened the letter and read it quietly to herself.

 _'To my most beautiful wife,_

 _Thank you for choosing me to spend the rest of your life with. No matter what storms will rage, we will have the shelter of each other. We will be the kind of love story that books are written about._

 _Your adoring husband,_

 _Ezra.'_

Aria's hands flew to her face, covering up eyes that were beginning to water over, yet still clinging to the letter that Ezra had penned to her.'

When he remembered what he had written in the letter he quickly snatched it from her hands.

"I wrote that months and months ago, and I wouldn't have given this to you if I had remembered that I put this in there...I wasn't trying to hurt you, Aria..." He pulled her close.

"I really wanted you to have the pictures...and this." He unwrapped the necklace from the tissue paper he had wrapped around it many months ago. It was a monogrammed necklace of Aria's new initials.

"It's beautiful..." she touched the large 'F' in the middle as it hung from Ezra's finger tips.

"But, I can't wear that." She wiped at the corners of each of her eyes with her sleeve.

Ezra was feeling confident. Their love, was a love so great. Aria had chosen that she loved him enough to try and save him from a hurt so big, that ultimately turned out to be so small in the grand scheme of things.

He slid from the bed to the floor, and for the second time found himself propped up on a knee.

"Will you please?" He unhooked the clasp and reached around Aria's neck to connect it again.

"I know that just yesterday you thought you had walked out of my life. But you had only left what could have been a grand affair. You put on a beautiful dress, with all of the most special people in our life watching, and not knowing it...you saved us. If we had gotten married yesterday, you would have kept Andrew a secret from me for who knows how long, and it would have killed me when I found out. And I can't lie, it still hurts. But you proved to me that you loved me enough to let me make the decision on if I keep us alive or let us fade away. And a love like ours isn't meant to just crumble and turn to dust."

Aria's eyes were huge. Her jaw had dropped from the moment she saw him sliding to the floor. She hadn't taken a breath since he started speaking.

"We're in a beautiful city. We can find you a dress. I can find myself a suit. And we can give this thing another shot, if you want. I would still love to call you my Mrs. Fitz, if you'll have me."


	10. Chapter 10

Aria was shell shocked. Her jaw hung open, her breath frozen in her lungs. Ezra remained on a knee, still in place- waiting on an answer. He finally gave in to the silence and shifted to place his weight upon both knees.

"I wasn't planning on asking you that, not yet...at least." He ran his tongue over his bottom lip in thought. He couldn't help but notice that Aria's cheeks were flushed, and her lips were cherry red. Had he embarrassed her, or just caught her extremely off guard?

"But, I can't stand the thought of us continuing in relationship purgatory. Wondering if it's okay for us to share a bed, or how we should refer to one another," Aria was listening intently. Ezra noticed her take a deep breath and his eyes opened a little wider in anticipation of what she would say.

She slid off the edge of the bed and found herself on her knees in front of him, small tears beginning to form in the corners of both of her eyes. Ezra's eyes quickly shifted to look at one eye then the other, and back again.

"Can you please..." he hesitated, "just say something." It wasn't a question. It was more of a demand. A plead.

The tears found their way down her face, landing on her upper lip.

"You still want me?" she questioned him with disbelief in her voice.

"I never stopped wanting you, if you'll remember correctly," he gave her a half smile in an effort to break the nervous tension.

The words, 'let's do it tomorrow' left her lips before she even had time to process them. Ezra reached across the space that separated them and grabbed Aria's hands in his.

"We don't have to do this. We can wait. I just needed to know that you still wanted us enough, for me to keep trying to make this work."

"I want this." Aria nodded her head quickly, but consciously trying not to nod too quickly making it look forced.

"Where do we start?" She asked, a smile breaking across her face. Ezra broke out in to a grin.

"Well...I didn't pack you anything suitable to wear, unless you want to start the rest of our lives in your yoga pants and a racerback tank." Aria shot him a look.

"You didn't even pack me a sundress? Unbelievable!" She let out a laugh and rose off of her knees, stretching her arms out to wrap Ezra in an embrace.

 **((SORRY I HAVEN'T UDATED IN AWHILE GUYS. I WAS A LITTLE BUSY THIS WEEKEND WITH WORK, THE HOLIDAYS & MY DAUGHTER. I KNOW THIS CHAPTER WAS SHORTER, IT WAS INFORMATION THAT I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE JUST USED TO LENGTHEN THE LAST CHAPTER BUT I GOT CUT SHORT LAST TIME. NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE MUCH MORE SUBSTANTIAL! KEEP READING! ;] ))**


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